Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 8 The First of the "Four Unreliable Things" of the Ming Dynasty: The Food of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices
"It's all Guo Yunhou's fault, he talked a lot of nonsense!" Zhu Youjian thought to himself.

"Cheng'en, what time is it now?" Zhu Youjian asked, rubbing his slightly sore neck.

"Your Majesty, it is a quarter past noon," replied Wang Chengen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Wang Chengen was promoted by Zhu Youjian to his current position, the same as Wei Zhongxian. However, Wei Zhongxian's truly fearsome identity was that of the Director of the Eastern Depot, also known as the Director of the Eastern Depot. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had one Grand Eunuch in charge of the seal, and usually three to five Grand Eunuchs in charge of writing.

"Noon?! Then let's suspend the court assembly and have lunch first. Summon the imperial meal." Zhu Youjian said.

Wang Chengen hesitated to speak, but Zhu Youjian noticed something was wrong and told him to get to the point.

"Your Majesty, the imperial meal has been prepared in the palace. Please return to the palace for your meal before attending court," Wang Chengen said softly.

"What, is this food poisoned?!" Zhu Youjian asked with a smile.

Wang Chengen's expression changed slightly. Recently, the emperor had been speaking without restraint, and as a servant, he couldn't very well discipline his master, so he could only keep quiet.

"Alright, I know the food at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is notoriously bad, but I'd like to see just how bad it is." Then Zhu Youjian changed the subject and continued, "But you should also save the imperial meals for me in the inner palace for now."

Wang Chengen was somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

The quality of food served at the Guanglu Temple has been criticized on numerous occasions. For example, the Wanli Yehuo Bian listed it as one of the "Four Unreliable Things," alongside the Hanlin Academy's articles, the Wukusi's weapons, and the Taiyiyuan's prescriptions.

A short while later, servants from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices came running over carrying several large bamboo baskets. They were indeed large bamboo baskets, and they were old baskets that had almost turned grayish-white; they were probably passed down from the Yongle era.

This was Zhu Youjian's first time seeing the imperial dining hall. However, the court officials were already quite familiar with it. Upon hearing that the emperor was going to bestow a meal upon them, they were not moved at all; in fact, some even felt like crying.

Those dressed in blue and green quickly went outside the hall to line up, with the green-clad ones not daring to step in front of the blue-clad ones, while the red-clad ones waited leisurely inside the hall.

Then the officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices scurried about, preparing the food and respectfully handing it to the red-robed ministers. However, their privileges were limited to this. The red-robed ministers took the tray, squatted down on the floor, knelt down, picked up their bowls, and began to eat.

After the man in blue returned with his food, he followed suit and knelt down. The henchman in green was the worst off; he could only squat under the eaves outside the hall and quickly eat his rice.

"This is so embarrassing!" Zhu Youjian couldn't help but cover his face.

"Go and carry over some cases, and also bring over a batch of stools and benches." Wang Chengen looked troubled, but Wei Zhongxian volunteered, and Wang Chengen's face turned ugly.

Wei Zhongxian returned with a large group of eunuchs, carrying all sorts of tables and stools of different shapes and sizes, the origins of which were unknown.

These young eunuchs were panting heavily as they ran, clearly showing how much Wei Zhongxian was urging them on.

"He's really eager to make a name for himself," Zhu Youjian thought to himself. "I need to put on an act too."

Zhu Youjian stepped down from the dragon throne and walked among the court officials.

“No need for formalities, just eat,” he said.

However, after Zhu Youjian looked around, he found that the blue-clad lackeys outside the palace were craning their necks, swallowing their food with a bite of wheat cake, a sip of vegetable soup, and a pitiful amount of meat sauce; the high-ranking officials of the fifth rank and above in blue were also eating in small bites; and the group of people in red, whose food was clearly the most luxurious, even including foie gras and venison, hardly touched their chopsticks.

Zhu Youjian's face darkened, and he ordered three different meals of varying quality. The wheat cakes were hard, the dough hadn't risen, they were solid flatbreads made from unleavened dough, and they weren't crispy at all, they were sticky and difficult to chew, and they even got stuck in his throat.

If Empress Ma had taken out this kind of flatbread from her bosom and given it to Emperor Zhu, he probably would have tearfully insisted it was delicious. If he had accidentally choked to death, the Ming Dynasty would have been finished.

Those of the fifth to seventh rank were allowed to dine in the palace. The meal consisted of rice, spinach, and mutton. It looked decent enough, but the rice was yellowish, stale rice, reminiscent of a Cantonese girl with pigtails. The spinach wasn't even properly cleaned; you could still find grass in it. The mutton was even more appalling—so pungent and gamey it made you question your existence. Eating it left you with only one thought: "That sheep died for nothing."

As for the high-ranking officials in red, their meals were much better: a bowl of rice porridge, two dishes of dried meat and pickled vegetables, a plate of vegetables, and a piece of roasted goose. But, although it looked good, it was still very unpalatable.

"bump!"

Zhu Youjian grabbed his rice bowl and turned it upside down on the tray. The court officials, who had been chatting and laughing quietly, were startled. The officials and servants of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices immediately knelt down, and the others who were eating dared not chew or swallow, just staring blankly at the emperor's madness.

"It's alright, you guys keep eating." Zhu Youjian forced a smile and said, resting the rim of his bowl on the tray and silently using his chopsticks to feed the rice into his bowl.

Even Old Zhu once lamented, "I dared not speak out when the cook poisoned me." These bastards are really hard to deal with!
"It's good enough to have something to eat. I wonder how many people in the Ming Dynasty are still starving," Zhu Youjian comforted himself.

As everyone watched the emperor, his face contorted in rage, devour the same coarse food as theirs, a subtle feeling arose within them. Some lower-ranking officials lowered their heads and silently ate their rice, tears unknowingly falling into their bowls. Perhaps feeling ashamed, they could only cover their faces with the wide sleeves of their official robes, secretly wiping away their tears.

The ministers and cabinet elders were not so easily moved; their eyes flickered, and they sometimes lowered their heads in thought, seemingly puzzled.

Zhu Youjian ate half a flatbread, three bowls of mustard soup, a small bowl of rice, a little roasted goose skin, and all the spinach, but still gave up; he simply couldn't eat anymore. He chewed the mutton twice and then spat it out. This stuff really went well with rice; you couldn't get rid of the gamey smell without stuffing several mouthfuls of rice. Now, Zhu Youjian felt a strange taste rising from his throat, making him feel nauseous.

He took another large gulp of soup to rinse his mouth, then spat it out. Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, he announced expressionlessly, "The morning assembly continues."

The messy tables and stools were removed, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which had almost turned into a vegetable market, finally regained its original solemn appearance.

After the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial announced the names of the soldiers, it was Zhang Weixian, the Duke of Yingguo and Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions, who was about to present his memorial.

Everyone was immediately alerted! Even Zhu Youjian was no exception.

In today's court, nobles rarely speak up, and if they do, it's usually for bad news!
The lineage of the Duke of Yingguo had experienced the Tumu Crisis, with the first Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Fu, dying in battle; Zhang Mao participated in the "Tumu Crisis," helping Zhu Qizhen to restore the throne, but was suspected by the emperor; later, powerful eunuchs such as Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian suppressed the lineage, causing it to decline to a point of near collapse. However, after the seventh Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Weixian, inherited the title, there were signs of a resurgence.

Especially now, before his death, Emperor Tianqi summoned Zhang Weixian and ordered him to escort his will. Zhang Weixian then announced the contents of the will and led the imperial guards into the palace to secure the palace, allowing Zhu Youjian to ascend the throne smoothly. Although Emperor Tianqi did not explicitly appoint a regent, everyone tacitly agreed that Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo was the de facto regent.

In addition, his involvement in the palace relocation case seven years ago directly facilitated Emperor Tianqi's smooth assumption of power.

It can be said that he helped the two current emperors to the throne, and both emperors trusted him immensely. This made Zhang Weixian's power unparalleled for a time, making him the head of the Ming Dynasty's nobility and the MVP of the country.

Moreover, he is still very young. He inherited the title in the 48th year of the Wanli reign and is not even 30 years old now. Everyone feels that the lineage of the Duke of Yingguo is about to rise completely.

Zhang Fu was once particularly favored by the Yongle Emperor and had made outstanding military achievements. Two hundred years later, another Zhang Weixian emerged. The lineage of the Duke of Ying is truly remarkable, making other nobles envious.

However, Zhu Youjian's assessment of him was: a complete idiot who was skilled in court politics.

Brother, you are a nobleman, your primary task is to fight!

Damn Ming Dynasty historical records, so annoying!


(End of this chapter)